Eating Rats.

thebeav · 04-19-04, 02:24 PM

I follow the advice of many of you folk here on the board and tried a med. Rat instead of two mice. The person I adopted him from said he would eat two mice at a shot. I fed him the two mice after I had him about a week and a half. And he took them no problem. It had been ten days since then so on the way home from work Friday night I picked up a Med. Rat. Killed it and dangled in front of his nose and bang he took it. Within a half hour it was gone. I’ll be trying another one next week.
Thanks for the advice.
George

sapphire_moon · 04-19-04, 02:43 PM

They should also sell f/t as live can get quite expensive.

Congrats on him taking the rat

smeagel · 04-19-04, 07:55 PM

my ball will only take mice, she will eat two. any suggestions on how i can switch her over to rats instead. i tried already and she refused to eat for month and a half, but took the mice no problem.

beaglegod · 04-19-04, 08:02 PM

Smeagel said:
any suggestions on how i can switch her over to rats instead.
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Try scenting an apropriately sized rat. If your feeding F/T get a scoop of used,stinky,mouse beeding from the pet store (they should have no problem giving it to you). Thaw the rat out in a zip lock bag with the smelly mouse bedding. Get the rat realy warm and rubb the mouse bedding all over it, getting the rat stinky with the mouse bedding. Than serve dinner

.

It may take a few trys but its a realy good method to switch over those finicky eaters.
Hope this helps.

sapphire_moon · 04-19-04, 08:42 PM

ok a few tips (besides beaglegod's tip)

braining---take a really warm f/t rat about the same size as a mouse and put a tack it's skull to make brain matter come out.

Chicken broth---take a warm f/t rat and dip it's head in hot chicken broth.

take a bit of mouse blood and rub it on the head of the rat.

a live rat PUP (around 2wks old)

leaving a hot f/t rat in overnight with the bp

and last one.

Just wait him out. A bp can go MONTHS without eating. Just keep a record of his weight ever 2wks or so. and as long as he isn't loosing weight he will be fine.